Can't we just accept that she is little?

So I'm so happy to say that my Norah has been realeased from her GI. She gained just shy of a pound and a half in two months, which is excellent for her. She is 18lbs 10.7 oz and 31 inches the 6th and 24th percentile. The GI is happy with her weight gain and there have been no underlying health problems found. She's doing great developmentally. She has many many words and phrases, walks, runs, climbs, manipulates toys in her hands, uses utensils great, and is a mostly happy baby with a funny personality. She saw the pediatrician today for her 18 month appointment, and she is fine with her growth, but still wants to do weight checks. I talked her down to seeing her once between now and June for her 2 year. At this point I just feel like it needs to be accepted that she is small. It will be a major pain in the ass because of my other kids, but I think I should switch pediatricians. Most sources I've seen say above the 5 percent and it's not ftt. Well she's in the 6th. So enough already. Thoughts?

Comments (19)

I feel your pain as my guy has been falling off his curve and now we’re being referred to a pediatric endocrinologist. So just at the beginning of looking for underlying issues. I think if you’ve ruled out anything else going on, I would be comfortable being content with her weight. Are your other kids petite too? For my guy, he’s the odd ball out, the other have been a good size so not sure what’s happening with him.

I feel your pain as my guy has been falling off his curve and now we’re bei...

Posted
12/07/2018

I feel your pain as my guy has been falling off his curve and now we’re being referred to a pediatric endocrinologist. So just at the beginning of looking for underlying issues. I think if you’ve ruled out anything else going on, I would be comfortable being content with her weight. Are your other kids petite too? For my guy, he’s the odd ball out, the other have been a good size so not sure what’s happening with him.

No they aren't. I mean my son is very skinny, but he's still in the 44th percentile and he is in the 60's for height. My other daughter is not fat by any means but a very different body type, I call her my little chunk. They are also dark hair and eyes, where as Norah is blond and blue eyed. I think she's just got different genes. She did fall off her curve dramatically starting at 6 months, she was 8.8 at birth and that is big, but I have big babies, she was still my smallest, lol.

I'm just exhausted. We've done lots of blood work, racked up specialist co pays, worked on very scheduled eating and meal plans, and given her meds off label to increase her appetite. The GI doesn't need to see us anymore, because she is healthy. Why can't my pediatrician get on board? Ugh.

How often you see your doctor is more of a suggestion than a rule. If you are not concerned with her weight, then just don’t schedule the additional appointments in between her main ones. They can’t force you to come in. My oldest was very petite too. We didn’t go quite to the extent you guys had to because he stayed just about the 5% and continued on that curve. He is now almost 10 and just recently broke the 50 pound mark. He’s a little short but not too much compared to classmates, just very thin. Eats like crazy, is very athletic and high energy. My second is total opposite for body type. He is almost 7 and is only a couple pounds lighter than my 10 year old. Looks like my littlest is more solid like the 7 year old as she’s on the upper end of the weight scale for her age. Just wish I knew where my oldest got his metabolism from and could clone it for myself! Lol

Follow your gut! You know your lo best. But one extra appt in the next six mo...

Posted
12/07/2018

Follow your gut! You know your lo best. But one extra appt in the next six months doesn’t sound like that big of a deal?

It's just annoying. We are a one car family right now, my husband works on the other side of the city, I would have to take him to work and drag my 3 year old in too just for a weight check. Or my husband uses some personal time. All in all, it's not a huge deal to do all that if it's necessary. It's life, it's having kids, I'm ok with it, but I want it to be because it's necessary, and this time, we know it's not. But mainly it comes down to the fact that I want my peditrician to stop making a big deal out of it and admit she's healthy and small or find one who will...I just need to breathe ya know? Because as much as I tell myself she is fine, I worry, and I need a break from this particular worry...

How often you see your doctor is more of a suggestion than a rule. If you are...

Posted
12/07/2018

How often you see your doctor is more of a suggestion than a rule. If you are not concerned with her weight, then just don’t schedule the additional appointments in between her main ones. They can’t force you to come in. My oldest was very petite too. We didn’t go quite to the extent you guys had to because he stayed just about the 5% and continued on that curve. He is now almost 10 and just recently broke the 50 pound mark. He’s a little short but not too much compared to classmates, just very thin. Eats like crazy, is very athletic and high energy. My second is total opposite for body type. He is almost 7 and is only a couple pounds lighter than my 10 year old. Looks like my littlest is more solid like the 7 year old as she’s on the upper end of the weight scale for her age. Just wish I knew where my oldest got his metabolism from and could clone it for myself! Lol

I love hearing stories about small healthy kids! Thank you. My other two are average to above average in size so it has been confusing. She did drop as low as the 2% so I get the intitial concerns and I was concerned. My 7 year old just hit the 50 pound mark but I could see it taking Norah till 10 or so to get there very easily.

It's just annoying. We are a one car family right now, my husband works o...

Posted
12/07/2018

It's just annoying. We are a one car family right now, my husband works on the other side of the city, I would have to take him to work and drag my 3 year old in too just for a weight check. Or my husband uses some personal time. All in all, it's not a huge deal to do all that if it's necessary. It's life, it's having kids, I'm ok with it, but I want it to be because it's necessary, and this time, we know it's not. But mainly it comes down to the fact that I want my peditrician to stop making a big deal out of it and admit she's healthy and small or find one who will...I just need to breathe ya know? Because as much as I tell myself she is fine, I worry, and I need a break from this particular worry...

My dd (dear daughter) was 21lbs at her 9 month Check up and at 18 months is only 22lbs? They didn’t seemed concerned. My niece is TINY, always has been. She’s 4 1/2 and just hit 30lbs. Some kids are just little 🤷‍♀️

My 3.5yo was like this. As a ftm I dealt with the "failure to thrive" label, had to take him in for blood work, constant weight checks, I was breastfeeding and was pressured to switch to formula (we did a zillion weighed feedings, had his minor tongue and lip tie revised just in case it was that, I even had blood work done). He wasn't even ON the chart (so, what is that? 0th percentile?) until he was almost a year old. He hovered around 5th %ile until he was 3 and now hes between 10th and 15th. He's just small. He was always meeting milestones way ahead of his peers and he's a healthy, energetic, intelligent 3yo. He eats like a teenager but he has my husband's metabolism, so he just burns it off. I'm sure it doesn't help he has never needed much sleep, because while his peers are, ya know, resting he uses that time to run around even more.

Trust your gut. If all else seems like she's fine, she probably is. Those statistics are based on averages. Adults come in all shapes and sizes, so why wouldn't kids?

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